I’m finally going to try and build a habit of reading rather than doomscroll before I fall asleep.
But I’m looking for books that are more “gentle” and will put my mind to ease over riling me up. I love a riveting heart pounding story but that’s the opposite of what I want when it’s bedtime.
While trying to keep an open mind to all suggestions I do like nonfiction more than fiction. Books on mediation, mindfulness, and relaxation are good. I love books on nature, particularly ocean related or about birds or peaceful seclusion in the mountains or something. A bit of humor isn’t required but wouldn’t hurt.
Same parameters for fiction books if anyone knows of good suggestions; I’m all about the ocean and birds or anything that’ll be good to wind down with after a tough day. If it makes sense I don’t want anything with super interesting cliffhangers, such as Wild Dark Shore or ACOTAR.
Thanks!
by SalmonforPresident
14 Comments
Maybe read a poetry compilation? Like “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman?
James Herriot’s “All Creatures” stories are quite cozy too (unless animals being in medical danger is a trigger for you).
And honestly, I find that guidebooks to animal or plant species are great for tuning the mind down before bed. Reading a list of birds and their descriptions is about as calming as it gets
Though Anne of Green Gables is technically a children’s book, I love and reread it often. It’s such a sweet story and is full of lovely descriptions of the Prince Edward Island countryside and seasons. Also the James Herriot books are based on the author’s life as a vet in Yorkshire; they’re wonderful stories that I enjoy reading before bed.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a cozy fantasy novel that takes place in a seaside village on a small island.
The drama is pretty tame and most of the tension is solved through friendship and communication. The main character is a librarian and her familiar is an anthropomorphic spider plant.
The story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
*Braiding Sweetgrass* by Robin Wall Kimmerer? It’s nonfiction and written from the author’s perspective as a botanist and a Native American. She blends her cultural traditions with botany and it’s really interesting where she goes with it. She doesn’t go all soapbox about either one.
Hahahhha yeah I got one girl. I read a cowboys journal from like the old times in the Wild West. It was so calming. Just nature descriptions. Let me find it
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. The book experience of listening to a beloved and articulate friend ramble about their special interest, which in this case is fungi.
Underland by Robert Macfarlane. A poetic mixture of geology and anthropology in discussion of caves, mines, and other underground spaces in human life and culture.
Sing Like Fish by Amorina Kingdon. Full disclosure: I haven’t actually read this one yet, but I currently have it checked out from the library. It’s about the sounds sea creatures make and listen to.
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. Novels about a lady naturalist who studies dragons. There are punchy action parts but since they’re styled as memoirs, you know the protagonist will be okay, so I think it still counts as good bedtime reading.
I have never read anything gentler than The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishaguro
Happiness is an Inside Job–Sylvia Boorstein
At Home by Bill Bryson. Online description – “In these pages, the beloved Bill Bryson gives us a fascinating history of the modern home, taking us on a room-by-room tour through his own house and using each room to explore the vast history of the domestic artifacts we take for granted.” It’s really entertaining, educational, and not stressful to read. Bill Bryson is who immediately came to mind with your request, so you might look into his other books.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World.
I really enjoyed the Hobbit as a chill book. Might just be me though
I recently read *Enough is Enuf* by Gabe Henry. It’s a brief history about various attempts to simplify English spelling and the effects those movements have on language today. It sounds dry, but he really has a humorous view of things. Plus it had all sorts of interesting tidbits of knowledge that I enjoyed sharing with my friends (and inflicting on my husband, lol).
James Herriot’s books are wonderful for relaxing! He’s a British country vet and it’s the stories of his encounters.